| Thesis defense | Unravelling the interplay between human resource management bundles and innovative work behaviors: A study in management consulting firms

This thesis explores the complex dynamics between human resource management (HRM) packages and innovative work behaviors (IWBs) in the context of global consulting firms in Vietnam. Specifically, we focus on exploring how and when HRM practices can foster or inhibit innovative employee behaviors. Consulting firms, characterized by their high pace of change, rapid innovation and extreme job demands, offer a unique and challenging environment in which to study ITCs. Using a multi-case approach, the research methodology includes a combination of qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews with key informants (HR managers, partners and senior consultants) and secondary data analysis. The study uses both inductive and deductive coding to analyze the data, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the interaction between HRM practices and ITAs.

The results reveal that HRM practices significantly influence employees' abilities, motivations and opportunities to engage in ITAs.It's interesting to discover the dynamic nature of HRM-ITC interactions, and to suggest that HRM practices need to evolve to support employee innovation over time. From this, a more dynamic model is proposed, more accurately capturing the complex and dynamic interaction between HRM sets and ITCs, rather than a linear approach often adopted in current literature. This research contributes to the understanding of the "black box" between HRM systems and firm-level outcomes by focusing on the micro-level mechanisms driving ITCs. It offers practical insights for HR practitioners and managers in consulting firms to design and implement HRM strategies that effectively improve employee innovation and overall organizational performance.